Program Overview

Master of Urban Planning

The Master of Urban Planning is an accredited, professional degree that prepares students to excel in planning practice. It is the normal academic qualification for planning and planning-related positions. Graduates are prepared for careers in the public sector (local, state, national, international governments and agencies), private sector (consulting firms, development companies), and not-for-profits (housing authorities, nonprofits) helping make communities better places.

Admission to Graduate Studies

• All applicants must meet the requirements outlined in the Admission to Graduate Study policy.
• Bachelor’s degree: A copy of official transcripts showing proof of a bachelor's degree (and any post-bachelor’s coursework or degrees) from a regionally accredited institution, or a foreign university with equivalent bachelor's degree requirements is required.
• English proficiency: Proof of English proficiency for non-native or non-native-like English speakers is required.

Admission to Urban Planning

Complete information about applying to the Master of Urban Planning can be found on the program website. The following materials are required of all applicants to the Master of Urban Planning:

• A completed graduate application submitted online;
• An application fee;
• A statement of the applicant’s career goals and substantive interests in urban planning and rationale for undertaking graduate study in urban planning at KU;
• Official transcripts from applicant's undergraduate institution and any post-graduate institutions attended;
• 3 letters of recommendation from persons qualified to comment on the applicant’s academic abilities and probable success in graduate study;
• A current resume;
• Non-native speakers of English must meet English proficiency requirements.

Applications are considered on a rolling basis. The final application deadlines are July 1 for fall and December 1 for spring admission. International applicants must apply by June 1 for fall and November 1 for spring.

M.U.P. Degree Requirements

The Master of Urban Planning (M.U.P.) requires a total of 42 hours and allows for the following 2 degree completion options:

1. Portfolio Exam
2. Master's Thesis and Final Defense

While completing the following degree requirements, graduate students are expected to understand and follow Office Graduate Studies policies relevant to their student status and academic standing.

Course List

• MUP Core Courses:
  • UBPL 705: Urban Economic Theory and Analysis (3 hours)
  • UBPL 736: Planning Law and Institutions (3 hours)
  • UBPL 741: Foundations of Compassionate Critical Thinking (3 hours)
  • UBPL 742: Applied Data and Spatial Analysis (3 hours)
  • UBPL 763: Politics and Planning (3 hours)
  • UBPL 777: Equity, Justice, and American Cities (3 hours)
  • UBPL 780: Climate Change and Hazards Planning (3 hours)
  • UBPL 785: History and Theory of Planning (3 hours)
• MUP Topic Areas: To complete degree requirements, students must select a substantive topic area and complete the courses listed below for a total of 9 credit hours.
  • Housing & Development:
    • UBPL 710: Housing Policy and Planning
    • UBPL 715: Community and Neighborhood Revitalization
    • UBPL 764: Real Estate Development
  • Sustainable Land Use:
    • UBPL 720: Sustainable Land Use Policy and Planning
    • UBPL 725: Environmental Planning Techniques
    • UBPL 735: Site Planning and Design
  • Transportation:
    • UBPL 750: Transportation Policy and Planning
    • UBPL 756: Data Driving Transportation
    • UBPL 758: Transportation for Livable Cities
  • Multidisciplinary Planning:
    • UBPL 730: City and County Planning
    • UBPL 750: Transportation Policy and Planning
    • UBPL 764: Real Estate Development
• Electives: 3 hours
  • Any UBPL course outside of student's chosen topic area, a graduate-level course outside SPAA approved by the Urban Planning Director, or:
    • UBPL 707: Sustainability and the Future of Transportation
    • UBPL 746: GIS Applications for Design and Planning
    • UBPL 767: Creative Placemaking
    • UBPL 802: Special Topics in Urban Planning
    • PUAD 703: Foundations of the Nonprofit Sector
    • PUAD 708: Collaboration in Public Administration
    • PUAD 824: Creating Good Public Policy
    • PUAD 825: Urban Policy and Administration
    • PUAD 828: Nonprofit Management and Policy
    • PUAD 834: Human Resource Management
    • PUAD 835: Managing Public Money
    • PUAD 836: Data Informed Decision-Making
    • PUAD 837: Advanced Public Budgeting and Finance
    • PUAD 839: Topics in Public Administration
    • PUAD 841: Context, Ethics and Legal Environment of Public Administration
    • PUAD 845: Managing Public Organizations
    • PUAD 851: Infrastructure Management
    • PUAD 853: Policy Analysis
    • PUAD 854: Innovation and Organizational Change
    • PUAD 857: Performance Management and Governance
    • PUAD 858: Performance Audit
    • PUAD 861: Data Analytics
    • PUAD 862: Emergency Management in the United States: Theory and Practice
    • PUAD 863: Program Evaluation
    • PUAD 892: Reflections on Practice
    • PUAD 893: Directed Readings
    • PUAD 898: Leading to Create a Culture for High Performance
    • PUAD 930: Research Seminar in Public Administration and Democracy
    • PUAD 931: Research Seminar in Public Management
    • PUAD 932: Seminar in the Intellectual History of Public Administration
    • PUAD 934: Research Methods in Public Administration
    • PUAD 935: Advanced Quantitative Methods for Public Administration
    • PUAD 936: Policy Analysis and Program Evaluation
    • PUAD 937: Qualitative Methods in Public Administration
    • PUAD 939: Topics in Public Administration
    • PUAD 943: Constitutional Foundations of Public Administration
    • PUAD 949: Law, Courts, and Public Policy
    • PUAD 998: Directed Reading on Public Administration
• Completion Options: 6 hours
  • Students select one of the following degree completion options for a total of 6 credit hours:
    • UBPL 806: Thesis - Graduate Research (6 credit hours)
    • OR
    • Portfolio Exam: Students select 2 additional courses from the list of electives above.

M.U.P. Curriculum

A total of 42 semester hours is required. Students typically complete the degree within 2 years.

Year 1

• Fall:
  • UBPL 741: Foundations of Compassionate Critical Thinking (3 hours)
  • UBPL 785: History and Theory of Planning (3 hours)
  • Topic area courses or electives (6 hours)
• Spring:
  • UBPL 705: Urban Economic Theory and Analysis (3 hours)
  • UBPL 736: Planning Law and Institutions (3 hours)
  • UBPL 742: Applied Data and Spatial Analysis (3 hours)
  • Topic area courses or electives (3 hours)

Year 2

• Fall:
  • UBPL 777: Equity, Justice, and American Cities (3 hours)
  • Topic area courses or electives (6 hours)
• Spring:
  • UBPL 763: Politics and Planning (3 hours)
  • UBPL 780: Climate Change and Hazards Planning (3 hours)
  • Topic area courses or electives (3 hours)

Learning Outcomes

At the completion of this program, students will be able to:

• Understand the evolution and current practice of planning in communities, cities, regions, and nations; how planning has advanced and hindered the attainment of justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion; past and present conceptions of the future, including the relationship between planning and the future. (Planning History)
• Understand the expectations about planning outcomes in different local and national contexts; conceptual models about what planning is and how it works; the role of planning in responding to the global climate crisis. (Planning Theory)
• Understand the behaviors and structures available to bring about sound planning outcomes; mechanisms and practices for ensuring equitable and inclusive decision-making; legal and institutional contexts within which planning occurs in the U.S. and/or internationally. (Planning Law & Institutions)
• Understand the political, economic, social, and environmental explanations of and insights on historical, present, and future development; relationships between the built and natural environments and individual and community health and well-being; planning responses to mitigate climate change, reduce risks, and recover from climate-exacerbated impacts; interactions – flows of people, materials, ideas, and cultures – across world regions. (Urban & Regional Development)
• Understand the planning process and community and stakeholder engagement; plan creation and implementation; methods of design and intervention to understand and influence the future. (Planning Process & Engagement)
• Develop research and critical analysis skills for preparing and conducting research; quantitative and qualitative methods of data collection, analysis, and forecasting; methods of geo-spatial analysis, mapping and data visualization; data analytics and urban technology. (Analytical Skills & Tools)
• Work in teams and with professionals in allied fields; professional leadership in the planning context; written, oral, and graphic communication. (Professional, Communication, & Leadership Skills)